Wow. I like totally agree. The Buffyverse was filled with some hot, hot men, but his portrayal of Giles always made him #1 with me. OK, maybe in a tie with Oz, but if it came down to the wire, I'd go for Giles.

Right with you there, ESG. I don't ever remember whooping and hollering at a TV as much as I did at that moment. The scoobies had missed him, we had missed him and there he was. Come to save the day and looking very very cool.
I replayed that moment many times on my VCR.
So why is he below Mick Jagger?

The only reason that most of those names even got a mention was because either ...

a) They were the obvious answer. How many women automatically say names like Brad Pitt, George Clooney or Johnny Depp when asked to name a sexy man.

b) They are currently in the news and immediately spring to mind. Do this list again next year and i seriously doubt Preston, Shayne Ward or Pete Doherty will do anywhere near so well, assuming they make the list at all.

Given the fact that ASH is neither an "obvious answer" or even especially high profile at the moment i think he has done incredibly well to make the list at all.

Slightly off topic and speaking as a heterosexual male, i can appreciate why a lot of these guys in the top twenty made the list but i just don't get the Jake Gyllenhaal thing. Can't see why women go crazy for him at all. For him to take second place in the poll against all those other guys just amazes me. Maybe it just proves my point that more people will automatically mention the name of somebody high profile at the time the poll is taken.

But Jake Gyllenhaal? I'd do him. Dont know why. But I really would. And most of the people I know would to.

Simon, I'm guessing you havent seen Donnie Darko, Jarhead or Brokeback Mountain then? I'd definetely check them out, (Especially the latter; its been a long time since I've been blown away by a film like that) as Gyllenhaal is becoming quite an accomplished actor who's getting better and better.

Vampire With a Gun, you're right, they probably wont be, although hopefully the reason will be that PrestonChantelle will be over, Shayne Ward would have stopped singing, and Pete Doherty will be serving a very long prison sentence. I detest that man.

I have seen Donnie Darko but took no note of who the lead actor was. To be honest, I was more impressed by Drew Barrymore and Patrick Swayze. Regarding Brokeback Mountain I'll wait till it comes out on DVD. It takes a lot for me to go to the cinema these days.

Tony is definitely way hotter than Russell Crowe (who is kind of gross). But Jake Gyllenhaal is sooooo hot. Those eyes! And those arms! And he seems to have a great attitude and great sense of humor, from what I've seen on those late-night talk shows. Hot, hot, hot. And, he seems all sensitive. How could you not see the attraction? Plus, check out this picture:

My girlfriend spoke about Jake Gyllenhaal for a long time before i had the slightest clue who he was. It's only been since she pointed him out to me in a movie (was it The Day After Tomorrow he was in?) that i have known who he actually was.

I have to admit that whilst my girlfriend finds him cute i just don't see it. I can totally appreciate why she finds guys like Hugh Jackman and Colin Farrell attractive but not so much with Gyllenhaal. Mind you, she can't understand why i'm so into Amy Lee of Evanescence so i guess it's all subjective.

Jake *sigh* is so unbelievabley swoonable. The first thing I saw him in, BBM, was a few weeks ago and I've been instantly and totally smitten ever since. The eyes, THE EYES!!!! That full pouty mouth, his hands, his body, his smile. But the most attractive thing is his talent, he's a very good actor who is only going to improve with time.

I can't explain it, but there it is. He's stunning.

*quits gushing*

I have a friend who is pouting because her main squeeze isn't in the top 100. Simon Cowell. Now *that's* inexplicable. :0)

I can pretty much understand most of those choices but Clive Owen ? All the charisma of soggy celery, IMO. I can see the Gyllenhaal thing (tho' i'm having trouble spelling it) cos he's got the muscles and the big puppy eyes which make women think he's less likely to rip their heart out and give it as an engagement present to their sister or best friend than the rest of us mere mortals ;) (and what do I know, maybe he is).

Dunno a lot of the guys outside the top 20. At No. 68 is Steve Jones. Is that the geneticist bloke ? Also not sure if ASH should be happy he beat Russell Crowe and Patrick Dempsey or cheesed off that he's only one above Jason Orange ;).

I loved Gyllenhaal in Donnie Darko, and totally crushed on him for a while. I was mostly just crushing on Donnie though. Does anyone remember him in The Good Girl which starred Jennifer Aniston? He was creepy and sad in that role. I just love his acting. And his sister's pretty cool too.

And P.S., Russell may be kind of gross now (in totally0random's words), but he was adorable when he was younger, and playing gay in The Sum of Us.

Now Tony has only gotten easier on the eyes every year. Some people just age more gracefully.

Well I'd define myself as a mostly hetrosexual man.

But Jake Gyllenhaal? I'd do him. Don't know why. But I really would. And most of the people I know would to.

See, now THAT is an endorsement. Heh. Me being a lesbian, I can add an equally improbably endorsement: yes, Jake is quite cute. There's something wonderfully feminine about his eyes (the same thing that I like about Tom Welling, early Keanu Reeves, etc. -- my wife and I now only refer to Smallville as "Pretty Boy Eyelashes" because even though he can't act, he sure has some pretty eyes).

Like Tony, there are a number of women who only seem to get more gorgeous as they age: think Lena Olin, Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis. Mmmmm. Each like a fine wine, or somethin'.

mmm, I have to jump on board with the Jake love here - though since watching Brokeback Mountain last night I think I like my Jake all mixed up in a sex way with Heath Ledger. After seeing that I flashed back to that thread a while back about slash fic and somebody during that puzzling about straight women liking to watch gay men. I wondered too - now I wonder no more.
Because it's hot!
Plus, as Apocalypse said, that film blows you away.

Back on topic, ASH is a little more mature than I generally go for, but 81st place is not to be sniffed at!

Pierce Brosnan was a bit too smooth when he was younger, but I'm finding him more attractive as the years progress. I'm kind of 'over' Tony Head - I think I overdosed and I haven't seen him do anything recently that was as good as Giles, or his part in Spooks. (It's the characters I fancied, not the actor.)

I'm with Simon on older men. I was into them even before I was 'older' myself. Always had my eyes on someone 15 to 20 years my senior when I was a teenager.

There is only one man in this top 20 that I would vote for: Clooney. Maybe Robbie W. and Clive O. when I'm feeling generous. Of the rest... I have a soft spot for Hugh Grant, I think Brandon Flowers will be gorgeous in 15 years time, and I thought Russell Crowe was dishy for a minute. The rest: meh. Give me the cast of Rome. Now there's some well-aged eye candy for ya.

I'm with Samantha. Tony was very, very sexy in Band Candy. While I just love the whole flustered intelligent Englishman he does as Giles, he was twice as sexy in Band Candy and as Ripper. He really was quite perfect as Giles. I need to see him in some other roles, though.

Hmm. Not many men in that top 100 that I'd be interested in. Maybe George Clooney, Johnny Depp, or Pierce Brosnan. I like Jake Gylenhaal as an actor (and his sister Maggie is great too), but he's a bit too young and puppy-dog-eyeish for my taste physically. Orlando Bloom has *never* appealed to me, nor has Colin Farrell. Frankly, I'm not sure I get the whole sensitive-guy look epitomized by people like Orlando, Jake, and Tobey McGuire.
But I second the Giles sexiness! And the older-guy appeal....

"Jake Gyllenhaal or Heath Ledger or someone else of that ilk: "Yo! Let's go chill at the skate park and then listen to the latest Green Day download. Radical man"

I hate using the expression, but its the only one sutible for this occasion.....LOL.

Hee!

I guess we'll have to disagree on Jake Gyllenhaal VS ASH then. But just wait til you see Brokeback Moutain Simon, and then...well let the Jake love begin!

Speaking of older men, I just had another scan down the list...Gordon Ramsay! David Cameron!?!?!?!?!?!? Actually quite scared. May run away, because (and I hate using this expression too)....eeeeewwwwwwwwww

"Jake Gyllenhaal or Heath Ledger or someone else of that ilk: "Yo! Let's go chill at the skate park and then listen to the latest Green Day download. Radical man""

LOL!! Except they are kind of not like that. Heath is serious and sensitive and Jake is very intellegent, charming, witty, socially and politically aware. I'm gushing again. :0) Plus he's 25, he's not a kid anymore.

acp I'm with you on the OB, CF Huh?ness. JG has done the sensitive roles, but he's also done freaky teenager, disturbed and disturbing in The Good Girl, comedy, drama, action (not actually seen TDAT yet) and I think his performance in Jarhead was very good, he's not afraid to play the not so appealing characters. He's got range.

Nice to see Tony getting some much deserved recognition, but how is it Josh Holloway isn't at least in the top three, if not number one where he rightfully belongs? But yay for Orlando and Johnny being so high on the list, though I'm not sure why anyone would have voted for Pete Doherty. To each their own.

To me, as a straight woman, sexiness lies mostly in the personality of the man in question, ie for actors, it's the role that can be sexy - I don't usually know enough about the person. To me Jake Gyllenhaal's character was sexy in "Brokeback Mountain" (as was Heath Ledger's), but not so much in "Jarhead". I found the character ASH portrayed in his famous Taster's Choice ads to be very sexy, and sometimes Giles was, as well - in "Band Candy" as mentioned and with Olivia in "Hush", for example. When Tony Head talks about his wife and kids, then I find him sexy.

For me, sexy is a sense of humour, thoughtfulness, a look in his eyes, the way he walks, a myriad of things, of which the physical aspect is a small part. So while some of the men on the list may be cute or handsome, I don't know any of them well enough to call them sexy. Just my two bits ;)

ETA: and intelligence. Harmony read it right, "The brain is the sexiest organ"!

A former girlfriend who was once disdainful to the point of being offensive about our shows, and who is *tonight* watching "Not Fade Away" wrote me an email when watching Buffy Season 4: "Is that Giles actually singing? Jeez, I gotta f**k that man!"

Season 6: "Spike, Spike, Spike...Giles who?"

Season 1 of Angel: "Okay, Angel, yeah, oh, yeah, Angel."

Season 4 (and 5) of Angel: "Wesley...oh my, Wesley. I don't want him, I NEED him." (She may be watching the scene with him and Illyria/Fred even as I type.)

I pointed all of this out to her, and she said, "Yeah, Gunn, too...God, I'm a slut!"

It is so gratifying: as recently as April or so, she steadfastly refused even to discuss Buffy related stuff...I finally just bought her Season One...she said, "If I watch the first 2 episodes, like you insist, and I don't like it, this conversation is over?" I assured her that was the deal...she's converted at least 5 or more other people...and is bereft at the knowledge that when she sees Not Fade Away, there is no new Whedon TV or movies for her...she has no idea how marvelous and fulfilling the re-watching will be!

Another vote for Jake Gyllenhaal here. I think he is more fanciable onscreen, actually doing somthing, than in a picture in a magazine - I see pictures of him and am not immediately drawn, but he is an incredible actor, and realy lights up the screen.

Jake is indeed sexy. I love the scene in BBM that pans the camera in a semi-circle in front of him as he watches Heath drive away. Anyone know which one I'm talking about? Those eyes! So pretty.

ASH had me at the first "cleaning of the glasses". Give me an "Oh dear, Lord" and I melt.

Chris, very jealous of your friend. You're easy. I make my friends watch until end of season 2. Then, and only then, do I let them give up watching Buffy. Has it ever happened? Nope. They always leave wanting more. Just the way I like it.

Wow, a little bit of Patrick Stewart, and I'm gone.
I used to watch ST just for him. Everytime he said "Make it so, Number Two"...I'd be on the floor.
Good call Willowy.
Also thanks to everybody for welcoming me back. You have all made me feel really special. *hugs board*

All you Patrick Stewart fans should check out his new series, Eleventh Hour, currently showing here in the UK on ITV. I've no idea when or if it will air in the States but hopefully you will be able to track it down one way or another.

I've started a thread for it over at Whedonesque.org that has a little more information on the show. Needless to say it is very good!

I second (or third or fourth) the Patrick Stewart love. I have a thing for men with great hair but Captain Picard was so sexy. Patrick was my first crush on a bald man. The only one since then was Lex on Smallville.

Mehitabel--I love your name! How's Archie?? ;-) And yes! yes! yes!! (think Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally) to Patrick Stewart. That *voice*! And when The Voice spoke Shakespeare, he coulda had me there and then. Ditto with ASH in the coffee commercials--and he didn't even need to speak! ASH should have been in the top 20. Top 5, even. And yes, "Giles" is an inherently sexy name.

Sharing the PS love (hottest thighs EVER) with both you and ESG. What a hunk, hmm? (Small correction - his second, Riker, was called Number One, an homage to The Original Series pilot. And HE was a hottie, too. Took me a while to warm up to him, but by the end run, whenever he gave out his trademark "RED ALERT!", I'd get all flushy.

ESG, I noticed you've been absent pretty much too, lately. At least, not as active here as usual. Glad to see you posting regularly again!

Thanks to you, VwaG, for info on Stewart's new series. I'm sure it is good, and I'll try to find out more about it over here.